Sorry. Here.
As Robert and Maxwell talked, a ripple appeared on the air.
Lucas. - Thought Robert - How odd that I am taking this in such stride...
Lucas, indeed, stepped out of it.
"Hey, Bob, Max..." - She said, distractedly. - "I sorta needed to talk..."
"I wouldn't suppose you were hiding some worries behind your newfound informality, Lucas?" - Said Maxwell amiably. Lucas blushed.
"Did the Sun make you a telepath too?" - Asked Lucas.
Robert chuckled lightly. "Father Maxwell holds a major in Theology and in Psychology... We were actually just talking about you."
"Go on, then, you guys first. I had some concerns I wanted to discuss with him, yes, but I see no reason whatsoever for you not to be here." - Said Lucas.
"Well..." - Said Robert, sighing - "First of all... Where did you find the sword?"
"Find it? It was with me the moment I changed. It's part of me, you know."
"I mean... You're young... I am aware that teenagers want to change the world, but..."
"Whoa, time out. Teenagers? Dude. I'm thirty. And I was told this body looked twenty to twenty-five... Cass is thirty, too, though I do understand you'd not really recognize age in an anime..."
"I see... Maybe I was thrown off by both the age difference and, no offense, your usual behavior..." - Said Robert - "But anyways. You were given a lot of power. And yet... I do not think you were meant to be an angel of vengeance."
"No offense taken by the behavior part; when dealing with clients, I am WAY more 'adult'. As for my not being 'meant'... Robert, no offense, but we aren't changed to fulfill some role or anything, in my opinion... I mean, I have no opinion one way or the other on this, really, but still..."
"She meant your archetype as a myth..." - Said Maxwell - "In the Christian imagery, angels are given swords to fight against sin or to protect something. Not to wreak God's punishment."
"Well, the angel-changed don't usually care about that sort of distinction. Besides, what difference does it make? I'm not here to be the gofer of any deity except, perhaps, for Neruite, who doesn't ask me to and who doesn't wreak revenge anyways, so far as I can tell."
"We were thinking you might be a guardian angel, child. A guardian of something that you hold dear. And of something that might come under threat in times of crisis, and that might also come under threat by individuals that wield too much power. Bear with us. Suppose our belief is correct and that things happen for a reason for a moment, for the sake of the argument." - Said Maxwell - "You might not fulfill the role of your form as such, by protecting something physically and so on, as Robert will not wreak chaos and corrupt people. We know that, we need not enter that discussion. But what if God, or destiny, put you in a position where you might protect something you already held dear?"
"Max..." - Said Lucas - "What are you saying?"
It bears noticing that, by this point, Lucas knew perfectly well what Father Maxwell meant. However, it is a well-known fact that people tend to ask others to spell things out in such moments, especially if they doubt they will like what they will hear.
"We believe you might be acting as a guardian angel to freedom, child. And, if there is such a thing as destiny, that this might be yours." - Said Maxwell, evenly.
"Maxwell, you have got to be making a mistake here... Do you have any idea how much responsibility this would be? Why would any loving god assign that kind of thing to me? I'm a nutcase! Why would I, of all people, be assigned such a task?"
She's taking this as well as could be expected, really... - Thought Robert, wryly.
"Because you are already doing it, child. You were put in a position in which you have the ears of a goddess. In which you can twist the arms of those that would impose their wills through force by a maneuver you already prepared. And surely you were enjoying this position quite a bit until it felt like something you are responsible for? What changed?"
"I..." - Lucas sighed - "Dammit... You want to know what changed? I now realized I have to be even more careful. It's what I wanted to talk to you about. I... It's not a game anymore, is it? Plus... I now feel it's a duty... Even assuming there isn't this destiny thing. What if I screw up?"
"You weren't worried about that before." - Said Robert.
"Well, I am now. Plus... A guardian angel? Of freedom? Isn't it a bit... Contradictory?" - Said Lucas. - "Guardians guard out of duty."
"You freely chose to do those things you did to protect it." - Said Maxwell - "No one forced you to. You can leave at any time. However, despite the fact that you now feel it is your responsibility, surely you still enjoy it? Plus, surely you feel a sense of responsibility of your own towards this?"
Lucas sighed. "I'm not thinking about quitting. It's just... I have no idea where to go from here. Plus I feel WAY more responsible now..."
